pinch

pinch
1 verb
1 (T) to press a part of someone's flesh very tightly between your finger and thumb, especially so that it hurts: Mum, he pinched me!
2 (T) informal to steal something, especially something small or not very valuable: Someone's pinched my coat!
3 (I, T) if something you are wearing pinches you, it presses painfully on your flesh, because it is too tight: Her head was aching and her new shoes pinched dreadfully.
4 I had to pinch myself especially spoken used to say that you needed to make sure a situation was real and that you were not imagining it
5 pinch and scrape to be very careful about how much money you spend, because you do not have very much
—see also: penny­pinching
6 (transitive usually passive) old-fashioned BrE to arrest 1 (1) someone
2 noun
1 pinch of salt/pepper etc a small amount of salt, pepper etc that you can hold between your finger and thumb: Add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
2 (C) an act of pressing someone's flesh between your finger and thumb: She gave him a playful pinch.
3 at a pinch BrE in a pinch AmE if necessary in a particularly difficult or urgent situation: We can squeeze one more person in the car, at a pinch. | In a pinch, I could manage $60.
4 take sth with a pinch of salt to not completely believe what someone says to you
5 feel the pinch to have financial difficulties, especially because you are not making as much money as you used to make: Local stores and businesses are beginning to feel the pinch.

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

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  • Pinch — may refer to:* Pinch (cooking), a very small amount of an ingredient, typically salt or a spice * Pinch, West VirginiaMathematics and Science* Pinch (plasma physics), the compression of a plasma filament by magnetic forces, or a device which uses …   Wikipedia

  • pinch´er — pinch «pihnch», verb, noun. –v.t. 1. to squeeze between the thumb and forefinger, with the teeth or claws, or with any instrument having two jaws or parts between which something may be grasped: »Father pinched the baby s cheek playfully.… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Pinch — Pinch, n. 1. A close compression, as with the ends of the fingers, or with an instrument; a nip. [1913 Webster] 2. As much as may be taken between the finger and thumb; any very small quantity; as, a pinch of snuff. [1913 Webster] 3. Pian; pang.… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pinch — [n1] tight pressing compression, confinement, contraction, cramp, grasp, grasping, hurt, limitation, nip, nipping, pressure, squeeze, torment, tweak, twinge; concept 728 pinch [n2] small amount bit, dash, drop, jot, mite, small quantity, soupçon …   New thesaurus

  • Pinch — Pinch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Pinched}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Pinching}.] [F. pincer, probably fr. OD. pitsen to pinch; akin to G. pfetzen to cut, pinch; perhaps of Celtic origin. Cf. {Piece}.] 1. To press hard or squeeze between the ends of the fingers …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • pinch — pinch; pinch·able; pinch·er; pinch·beck; pinch·ing; pinch·ing·ly; …   English syllables

  • pinch — ► VERB 1) grip (the flesh) tightly between finger and thumb. 2) (of a shoe) hurt (a foot) by being too tight. 3) tighten (the lips or a part of the face). 4) informal, chiefly Brit. steal. 5) informal arrest. 6) live in a frugal way …   English terms dictionary

  • pinch — [pinch] vt. [ME pinchen < NormFr * pincher < OFr pincier < VL * pinctiare < ? punctiare, to prick (see PUNCHEON1), infl. by * piccare: see PICADOR] 1. to squeeze between a finger and the thumb or between two surfaces, edges, etc. 2.… …   English World dictionary

  • Pinch — Pinch, v. i. 1. To act with pressing force; to compress; to squeeze; as, the shoe pinches. [1913 Webster] 2. (Hunt.) To take hold; to grip, as a dog does. [Obs.] [1913 Webster] 3. To spare; to be niggardly; to be covetous. Gower. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pinch — Pinch, WV U.S. Census Designated Place in West Virginia Population (2000): 2811 Housing Units (2000): 1194 Land area (2000): 3.507567 sq. miles (9.084557 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.037141 sq. miles (0.096194 sq. km) Total area (2000): 3.544708… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Pinch, WV — U.S. Census Designated Place in West Virginia Population (2000): 2811 Housing Units (2000): 1194 Land area (2000): 3.507567 sq. miles (9.084557 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.037141 sq. miles (0.096194 sq. km) Total area (2000): 3.544708 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

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